Sounds fantastic, doesn't it? Well, you're in luck! Becca & Angela have graciously agreed to give a PDF copy of The Emotion Thesaurus to one of my lucky readers. All you have to do is use the widget at the end of this post. I added a ton of options, so enter however you like. :) This giveaway ends June 09, 2012 at 12:01 a.m. (EST).

Take it away, Becca!

Three Ingredients of a Good Scene

OK, so it takes more than three things to make a good scene. But Carrie has graciously allowed me to post at her blog today, and if I’d like to be asked back, a total takeover on my part seems ill-advised. So I’m limiting myself to three things every single scene in your story must have for it to be successful. Much of this is shamelessly stolen from Save the Cat (Blake Snyder for president!), but as authors, aren’t we all just glorified thieves? So let’s embrace the dark side and move forward, shall we?

Ingredient #1: A GOAL. Every scene contains a main character, and in every scene, the main character wants something. Maybe he wants to open an enchanted door (The Hobbit, chapter 11). Or possibly, he’d just like to get away from his horrific guardians (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, chapter 3). Regardless, if there is no goal, the reader doesn’t have anything to root for. There’s no momentum, no movement. For every scene in your manuscript, ask yourself, What does my main character want? If you can’t find an answer, create one. There must be a goal in every single scene to maintain reader interest and keep the pace moving forward.

Ingredient #2: CONFLICT. Once you’ve figured out what your character wants in the scene, ask this question: What’s standing in the way of my hero achieving his goal? In the above examples, Bilbo can’t open the door because it’s been enchanted to only open on a specific, undisclosed day; conflict arises as time passes and his companions begin to turn on him. The Dursleys dislike Harry as much as he dislikes them, but they have the power; every interaction with them simultaneously reinforces his goal and keeps him from attaining it. Why is conflict so important? As Snyder says, conflict is primal. It gets our attention. Conflict, and the tension it creates, is what keeps the reader engaged.

Ingredient #3: EMOTIONAL CHANGE. Character emotion drives reader emotion. If your character’s emotion doesn’t go anywhere, your readers won’t connect with him and they lose interest. (I’m seeing a pattern here). So the third question to ask about any particular scene is: What emotion is my character feeling at the start of the scene, and what does he feel at the end of the scene? For the reader to be emotionally involved, the character must experience an up or down change in emotion. Bilbo starts the scene excited (when the path to the hidden entrance is discovered), then moves to despair (when the weeks pass and they can’t open the door) and finishes the scene elated (when the door finally opens). Poor Harry starts out resigned to his miserable summer but quickly becomes hopeful when the mysterious letters start arriving. If your character’s emotions aren’t changing, then nothing must be happening, and if nothing is happening, the reader will lose interest. Make sure that in each scene, your character experiences a change of emotion.

If, when looking at a scene, you find that you don’t have an answer to any of the above questions, either create one or examine the scene’s necessity to the story. It could be that the scene has no true purpose and should be cut to make your story stronger.

And now that I’ve disclosed my three favorite ingredients of a good scene, I’ll ask you to complete the recipe. What else, besides a goal, conflict, and emotional change, should every scene contain?

81 comments:

*****PLEASE READ******Carrie asked me to let you all know that some bad storms have blown through her part of the country and she has been without power since Friday. She's okay, just unable to comment right now. Please party without her and she'll respond when she's back among the cyber-living. ;)

I'm a fan of Becca (Angela, too), The Bookshelf Muse, and The Emotion Thesaurus. You should check them all out--so worth your time. Great post!!! :)

Excellent insights and advice. I'll have to check out your book, Becca. Thanks for sharing. Keeping to your advice will help rid filler scenes, or at least make sure they have something more to them. Thanks

Love their website! Great advice . . . I use a plot analysis chart when I write with 3 rows to fill in for purpose/goal, setting, and event . . . and I strive for 30 distinct scenes. The first scene is the hook, of course. Scenes 10 & 20 (or there about) mark major plot twists. Scene 15 & 25 mark minor plot points.

I have no idea if I entered that right but that book sounds fabulous. What a great post. This just cements my recent quandary over whether to include a scene I really love in my WIP. It has no purpose. I'll cut it. Thanks!

You know, I've heard people talk about each scene being it's own complete arc, and I think each scenes probably should be its own mini-journey. But to be completely honest, I'm just not that good, lol. Some day...

Lisa, I've found that the scenes we love are the hardest to examine objectively. I usually try to pinch them and poke them and prod them to get them to "necessary" status, but before long, it becomes obvious which ones can be saved and which ones need to go.

your book sounds wonderful. I am particularly drawn to the strong, silent type of hero...so there aren't a lot of external cues to work with. Which only makes it more fun, in my opinion, to decipher.

As for scenes, these are great reminders. I would also agree that a strong ending to carry into the next scene is vital. And pacing! A story needs to flow from one scene to the next. Finding the right pacing is vital to maintaining a flow that propels the reader through scene, chapter, and book.

First, my bit on the post. I've heard this advice enough to know I should do it. And by "it" I mean asking myself what my character wants during each scene. But alas, I still always forget. Maybe this will be the time it finally sinks in.

Now, for my bit on "Carrie with no power." I know exactly how that feels, Carrie, and I'm so glad your electricity is back on. I've experienced the same thing a couple of times in the past few years (though thankfully not this one) due to ice/snow storms. Last year it was at least five days before they got our power back on. And that's not the most frustrating part. On the fourth day or so, they turned our neighborhood back on. Our whole neighborhood but my house and the two on either side. -.- Because someone forgot to flip a switch. -.-x2

Great advice. I am a huge fan of both Becca and Angela nd of course The Bookshelf muse. I have turned to their blog often for help with describing and portraying emotions. I am so glad they made a book with all of their tips and useful descriptions.

If you get a chance to watch the body language experts on the news shows, they're fascinating. Everything from someone briefly parting his lips with his tongue when he finds the other person in the conversation to be repulsive, to someone touching his wedding ring to feel secure.